In 1966, Hanna-Barbera created an action show entitled Space Ghost, which followed an interstellar police officer and his two young companions (and their monkey) as they routinely saved the universe from various evil-doers. The show was met as most Hanna-Barbera action shows were, and the show had a usual run.

28 years later, Cartoon Network found itself in a unique position. Though the network possessed a gigantic animation library, it had no shows to call its own, and at the time, didn't have the budget to make a traditionally animated one. In a stroke of genius, a group of executives and cartoonists got the idea to "recycle" the animation from this old Space Ghost show, mixing in another stroke of genius by having him talk to a pre-recorded celebrity interview.

From there, it was only a short leap to Space Ghost: Coast to Coast. Past his prime as a superhero, Space Ghost now runs his own talk show. To help him, Space Ghost has used two of his imprisoned enemies: Zorak, the evil mantis turned band leader, and Moltar, the molten monster turned director.

On that premise alone, Space Ghost would've been a fairly interesting show, but the show found its stride when its large and constantly changing cast of writers found a unique type of random for the show. After some initial dry (though mildly entertaining) straight talk show episodes, Space Ghost: Coast to Coast soon had plots consisting of Batman parodies, evil sea monkeys, and a live-action episode with a narrator reciting previous episodes while a cartoonist draws them.

Space Ghost quickly found an oddly dedicated audience, and the show could considered one of the first to pick up cult popularity because of internet web sites and message boards (some sites still exist from 1995). Though Cartoon Network obviously went on to produce its own originals, Space Ghost continued being produced and shown right up until now, with guests ranging from Hanson to Michael Moore to Conan O'Brien to Jeff Probst.

Space Ghost has been reportedly cancelled, though the nature of the show isn't as consistant; it could pop up with new episodes next year, or the year after that, or any time randomly. From 2005 to 2007, original episodes were produced for the premium video game website GameTap.